Maine Beef Producers Association and Maine Grass Farmers Network present
9th Annual Grazing Conference
Saturday, March 23, 2013
8am – 3:30pm
Kennebec Valley Community College – Fairfield, ME
Register online
| 8:30-9:00 | Registration / Visit Vendors | ||
| 9:00-9:15 | Intro and Welcome: Gabe Clark, MGFN President | ||
| 9:15-10:15 | Keynote Address: Ray Archuleta, Improving Soil Health by Mimicking Nature (continued after break) | ||
| 10:15-10:30 | Break / Trade Show | ||
| 10:30-11:45 | Continued: Ray Archuleta, Improving Soil Health by Mimicking Nature | ||
| 11:45-Noon | Awards | ||
| Noon-1:00 | Lunch / Trade Show | ||
| 1:00-2:00 | Forage selection, choosing the right forage species for your farm: Rick Kersbergen, UMaine Extension | Soil Quality Testing: new opportunities to evaluate your soil health, Ray Archuleta | Beef cutting demo, Cole Ward |
| 2:00-2:15 | Break / Trade Show | ||
| 2:15-3:15 | NRCS Program Opportunities: USDA programs for grass based livestock producers, Paul Carmichael, Soil Conservationist | Producer Spotlight: Pastured Poultry and Pork, Steve Sinisi, Old Crow Ranch, Durham, ME | |
Think your livestock products are superior?
Bring a pork, lamb, goat chop or beef ribeye to the conference and have it judged by our panel of speakers. Entries must be from your farm and processed under state or federal inspection.
Call Rick at 1.800.287.1426 or e-mail Richard.Kersbergen@Maine.edu for more details.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Ray Archuleta
Ray Archuleta, Conservation Agronomist, NRCS East National Technology Center, Greensboro, NC, will discuss Improving Soil Health by Mimicking Nature. By applying natural ecological principles to improve soil function, landowners can reduce chemical inputs in grazing and cropping systems.
Popular USDA soils guru Ray Archuleta will bring his high energy presentation style to Maine for our conference. He specializes in soil quality and the principles of agro-ecology throughout the United States.
In 23 years with USDA, Archuleta has worked in five states and served in several capacities, including a water quality project manager, an irrigation specialist, and a soil conservationist.
“Ray is a dynamic speaker who will grab your attention and make you think about what you are doing on your farm,” says Rick Bednarek, state soil scientist for NRCS in Iowa. “He uses props and tools to show the audience how soil responds if properly managed.”
Speaker: Cole Ward
Cole has been working with meat since he was fourteen – stuffing sausage in his godfather’s meat market for 24¢ per hour. He has worked throughout the country from preparing meat props for CBS studios and national TV commercials to preparing specialty meat cuts for celebrities in Hollywood.
Cole loves to teach people about good meat. His recent DVD release, “The Gourmet Butcher: From Farm to Table”, has been described as “sheer pleasure of watching a craftsman operate.” Cole will be cutting a side of cow.
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